Warner Bros. moves against Web copies of 'Dark Knight'

Warner Bros. is going after the sites that posted pirated copies of the film The Dark Knight.

Studio says the first illegal version to show up online was a poorly lit, 'camcorded' copy.

(Credit: Warner Bros.)

CNET News reported Monday that copies of the hit new Batman film could be found at several Web sites. Now, a spokesman for the studio said Warner Bros. is taking action.

"We actively search for these sites and services and have them taken down," said Craig Hoffman, a spokesman for Warner Bros.' worldwide antipiracy and technical operations. "While so far we have had compliance with our requests, we certainly reserve our rights to take whatever legal action necessary to protect our intellectual property."

Warner Bros. does see one positive in the pirating of The Dark Knight, Hoffman said. No copies of the film circulated before the film's theater debut.

"It is impossible to monitor every single screening at every theater worldwide to prevent it from being camcorded," Hoffman said. "Sadly, it is inevitable that an illegal copy of the film will eventually surface. What was a true accomplishment and unprecedented given the amount of interest and Internet buzz about The Dark Knight was despite hundreds of pre-release press, review, and promotional screenings worldwide, not a single copy of the film leaked prior to the official release."

According to Hoffman, the first copy, which was a poorly lit "camcorded copy," did not surface until 48 hours after the film's release. There's no way to confirm that, but it sounds about right.

"It was that copy that propagated on the Internet during the first days of the movie's release," Hoffman said.

[giyad]

whatever helps you sleep at night warner...

[paul.saulnier]

The real question is why people bother to watch low-quality camcorder copies of films.

[Magicland]

This just goes to show how stupid the people at the movie companies (yeah, that's you Warner) are. "The Dark Knight" sets box office records, and they're worried about a crappy camcorded version online, as if anybody who wastes their time watching it was going to shell out to see it in the movies anyway.

[Dead Soulman]

This is very sad. Considering the record breaking millions Warner has made from "Dark Knight" and the more is bound to make when it hits home video, Warner is taking the low road. I haven't seen the movie, but thanks to Cnet, was able to find sites that had it. But, the quality was so poor, it wasn't even worth bothering with. But, the buzz of "Dark Knight" is so strong, with or without the online copies, that I'm bound to rent/buy it when it hits home video. Studios need to keep in mind that these poor online versions actually boost the popularity of the movie and it'd drive those who appreciate a good movie shown at its best resolution in audio and video will hit the theaters. But, dinosaurs do not know how to adapt.

[cohaver]

Netflix Block buster Time warner all need to Build a Movie Demand Service where at same time it Released at the Theaters it can be bought as a Download Demand Service Instead of 200 million opening weekend they take in 500 million dollars. And everyone would see and less likely it be Pirated. Lower quality on the Demand Service So the Theater wont cry. And give a outlet for people who want to see the movie and cant wait for it to show up in there town.
World need to get smarter . Movie companies need to Develop a system to get to as many people as possible as fast as possible this best way to stop the Pirates
The Window between theater Release and DVD Release is to Long

[berbar]

Having the chance to see it on an IMAX, I wouldn't care about pirated copies.

[bentslimshady]

@cohaver
couldnt agree more!!!!!!.i tihnk someone should start an online petition where we could all go and sign up,then hand it to the mpaa.show them proof that alot of pirating would die if they were to release the movies in the way you state.another thing is that with all the hype thats been on the net regarding The Dark Knight there was a massive buzz about the movie and by the time it gets released to dvd,all the folk that couldnt make it to the cinema arnt going to have the desperation to see the film as much as when it first gets released.hence could have made more money releasing on the net and in theaters.ive been buzzing about this film for ages,but due to my job commitments theres a good chance i wont be able to make it to the theater so i like alot of others will have to wait for the dvd,and by then i might have lost intrest due to reading all the reviews anyway.i hope they make a move forward in time soon.whats the most used form of entertainment nowdays,it was tv,then video and cinema,and now............the net!!!!!!!!!this is the first place it should get released!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RRosal]

If people are so desperate to watch a good movie with horrible audio and even worse picture quality, than power to them. I'm willing to pay for my entertainment if its worth it. All you folks who love watching poorly recorded movies on the Internet, here's a tip: Go to Youtube and watch some of the amateur films uploaded there. At least you're not hurting any one out there that's trying to make money off their hard work.

[whattawookie]

@cohaver and bentslimshady:

It will never happen, at least, not in the the way to want. The only reason that movies make so much money (like The Dark Knight), is that the only way to see them for a month or so is in theaters, which make the movie companies money. Now, if they decided to put it out online as a download, even for a fee, the day it came out in theaters, then people would no longer need to go see it several times in the theaters. They could just buy it once, and have it and be done with it. The movie compaines would lose a bunch of money on this, not to mention that there would be no need to buy the movie on dvd/blueray when it came out. So, sadly, I dont think this will ever happen.

[bentslimshady]

@whattawookie,

dude,i didnt mean download and keep,i mean pay for a showing over the internet via streaming,it surely could be a way to combat piracy.i would pay the same as going to the cinema to watch a streaming version with decent quality,legally as i prefer to watch movies in the comfort of my own home,and surely i cant be the only person who would do this.pay for a ticket over the net for a showing,they could put some sort of protection on to stop actual download.there you have it,effectivley doing the same as you would going to the cinema,paying online and being able to view the once.